Psychology tells us that we live between a whole series of opposites. Here are some that matter for learning.
We can see the whole tree or we can see fine details.
We can approach something novel or we can avoid it.
We can be open or we can be closed.
We can be excited or we can be anxious.
We can be confident or we can be doubtful.
Each of us has a habitual placing between these opposites but we are never static. To take control of our learning is to develop the skill of managing how we move between these opposites.
And to be really effective learners, we have to move between them. It is tempting to see the red ones as positive and the blue as negative. But that is wrong. Being focused on something requires that we can avoid distractions, for example.
The red ones are more typical of the smart mind and the blue ones more typical of the stupid brain. And that is why it is helpful to think of learning as being about getting those two systems to co-operate: to use both them to reach the goal.
The key to this revolves around two simple words:
“Be curious” the smart mind is driven by curiosity to find interest
“Be uncertain” the stupid brain is driven by uncertainty
To manage each of these, just see that there is not too much and not too little of either. If we get them in balance, then we are in business. Learning is best when we are curious and when we are unsure of where it leads.